dimple

English

Etymology

From Middle English dimpel, dimpil, dympull, from Old English *dympel, from Proto-West Germanic *dumpil, from Proto-Germanic *dumpilaz (“sink-hole, dimple”), from Proto-Germanic *dumpaz (“hole, hollow, pit”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb- (“deep, hollow”), equivalent to dialectal dump (“deep hole or pool”) +‎ -le (diminutive suffix).

Akin to German Low German Dümpel, German Tümpel (“pond, pool”). Related also to Old English dyppan (“to dip”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɪmpəl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪmpəl

A young man with dimples

Noun

dimple (plural dimples)

1. A small depression or indentation in a surface.

   The accident created a dimple in the hood of the car.

   • 1815, William Wordsworth, The White Doe of Rylstone; or, The Fate of the Nortons:

     The garden pool's dark surface […] breaks into dimples small and bright.

2. Specifically, a small natural depression on the skin, especially on the face near the corners of the mouth.

   You have very cute dimples.

3. A small depression, made with a punch on a metal object, as a guide for further drilling.

Synonyms

• (depression in a surface): dent

Derived terms

• bedimple
• chin dimple
• dimplement
• dimpleplasty
• dimples of Venus
• dimply
• dimply

 

Translations

small depression or indentation in generic surface

• Arabic: نُقْرَة f (nuqra)

  Egyptian Arabic: غمازة f (ġamāza)

• Bulgarian: падина (bg) f (padina)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 凹 (zh) (āo)

• Dutch: bult (nl), gaatje (nl) n
• Finnish: kolo (fi), lommo (fi), kolhu (fi)
• French: alvéole (fr) m or f
• German: Delle (de) f, Beule (de) f
• Irish: loigín m
• Italian: bozza (it) f
• Japanese: 凹み (ja) (くぼみ, kubomi), へこみ (ja) (hekomi)
• Ottoman Turkish: غمزة (gamze)
• Portuguese: covinha (pt) f
• Romanian: adâncitură (ro) f, cufundătură (ro) f, scobitură (ro) f, scufundătură (ro) f
• Russian: я́мка (ru) f (jámka), вы́боина (ru) f (výboina)
• Spanish: hoyuelo (es) m
• Swedish: bula (sv), buckla (sv) c, inbuktning (sv) c
• Turkish: göçük (tr)
• Welsh: pannwl m, crych (cy) m, pant m

skin depression, especially at corners of the mouth

• Arabic: غَمّازة f (ḡammāza)
• Aromanian: grupicã f
• Azerbaijani: qəmzə
• Bulgarian: трапчинка (bg) f (trapčinka)
• Catalan: clotet (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Hakka: 酒窟仔 (jiuˋ fudˋ eˇ)

  Hokkien: 酒窟仔 (zh-min-nan) (chiú-khut-á)

  Mandarin: 酒窩／酒窝 (zh) (jiǔwō), 靨／靥 (zh) (yè), 酒渦／酒涡 (zh) (jiǔwō)

• Czech: důlek m, dolík m
• Dutch: kuiltje (nl) n
• Finnish: hymykuoppa (fi)
• French: fossette (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Grübchen (de) n
• Greek: λακκάκι (el) n (lakkáki)
• Hebrew: גומת חן \ גֻּמַּת חֵן f (gumát khén), גומה \ גֻּמָּה (he) f (gumá)
• Hindi: हिलकोरा (hi) (hilkorā)
• Hungarian: gödröcske (hu)
• Icelandic: spékoppur n
• Irish: loigín m
• Italian: fossetta (it) f
• Japanese: 靨 (ja) (えくぼ, ekubo), えくぼ (ja) (ekubo), ディンプル (dinpuru)
• Korean: 보조개 (ko) (bojogae), 볼우물 (ko) (borumul)
• Latin: gelasīnus m
• Luxembourgish: Kailchen f
• Maori: ngongo
• Marathi: खळी f (khaḷī)
• Navajo: aniishtłʼah
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: smilehull n

  Nynorsk: smilehól n

• Polish: dołeczek m
• Portuguese: covinha (pt) f
• Romanian: gropiță (ro) f
• Russian: я́мочка (ru) f (jámočka)
• Slovak: jamka f
• Spanish: hoyuelo (es) m, camanance m
• Swedish: smilgrop (sv) c, skrattgrop c
• Tagalog: biloy
• Thai: ลักยิ้ม (th) (lák-yím)
• Turkish: gamze (tr)
• Vietnamese: lúm đồng tiền
• Welsh: bochdwll m
• Yiddish: חן־גריבל n (kheyn-gribl)

Small indentation made on metal object as a guide for drilling

• Maori: tamarua

Verb

dimple (third-person singular simple present dimples, present participle dimpling, simple past and past participle dimpled)

1. (transitive) To create a dimple in.

   The hailstorm dimpled the roof of our car.

2. (intransitive) To create a dimple in one's face by smiling.

   The young girl dimpled in glee as she was handed a cupcake.

3. To form dimples; to sink into depressions or little inequalities.
   • 1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):

     And smiling eddies dimpled o'er the main.

Synonyms

• (create a dimple in): dent, mar

Translations

create a dimple in

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 起漣漪／起涟漪 (qǐ liányí)

• Dutch: blutsen (nl), indeuken (nl), deuken (nl)
• Finnish: kolhaista, kolhia (fi), tehdä lommo
• German: eindellen (de), einbeulen (de)
• Greek: πτυχώσει (ptychósei)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} formare bozze su
• Portuguese: ondear
• Romanian: cresta (ro)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} formar hoyuelos

create dimples in face by smiling

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 使現酒窩／使现酒窝 (shǐxiàn jiǔwō)

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} formare fossette su

Anagrams

• impled, limped